A fact from Venera 4 appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 2 August 2009 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:
Did you know... that a front part of Venera 4(pictured), the first probe to land on another planet, was made of sugar?
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Latest comment: 14 years ago4 comments3 people in discussion
On today's main page, in the 'Did you Know' section, it is listed that the front of the Venera 4 was made of sugar, but this is not referenced anywhere in the article. Is there a source for this? Gecko G (talk) 21:27, 2 August 2009 (UTC)Reply
It's misleading, to be sure, but the article claims one of the probe's components was made of sugar as of the most recent edit, and provides a citation. It's in the third paragraph of the section called "Design". 72.150.225.6 (talk) 21:42, 2 August 2009 (UTC)Reply
It is a bit of speculation. What we know is a "lock" of the capsule, which is a kg part of several kilograms in its front, was a cylinder with the outer wall made of metal and the inside contained transmitter antennas embedded in sugar. The sugar was supposed to dissolve in liquid (water) releasing the antennas in case of oceanic landing. A photo could be found here. Materialscientist (talk) 22:19, 2 August 2009 (UTC)Reply
Ok (guess I should of read the article more closely, as I overlooked that third paragraph). Thank you both. Gecko G (talk) 07:13, 3 August 2009 (UTC)Reply
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